Buoyant airplane



' 0t.7,1930. F, ES 1,777,516

BUOYANT AIRPLANE Filed Sept. 9, 1929 I/CFPA-"OEE/CK FA -s.

10 that the engine t Patented Oct. .7 1930 mnmcx ms, on courses, earn-ennui BUOYANT AIRPLANE ama mease tember a, 1929. Serial No. satire.

My invention relates generally to aircraft and more particularly to a buoyant airplane,-

and the principal mm of my invent on. 18, to ,provi e a power driven airplane with a plurality of separate compartments that are lled with buo ant gas and which latter exerts a liftin e ect upon the airplane, conse- 'quentl tending to render the same buoyant and se f-sustaining in the air, with the result plane may operate to greater advantage, inasmuch as the engine 18 required to develop *only such. degree of power as is necessary to propel the airplane forwardly and-as the airplane is rendered self-sustaining by reason of the gas contained within the compartments, said airplane may be operated at much slower rates of speed than is required 'in heavier-than-air flying machines.

Further objects of my invent on are, to c onstruct an airplane wherein the main body or fuselage is constructed in'two parts,'the upper one of which comprises a series of gas containing chambers an the lower part containing chambers or com artments that are adapted to be occupied by uel, necessary supplies, operating machinery and quarters for the crew and passengers; further, to provide an airplane having a wing or wings and elevators that are constructed substantially hollow and provided with separate chambers that are adapted to be filled with buoyant/gas.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and. arrangement of parts that-will hereinafter be more fully described-and claimed and illustratedin the ac-. companying drawings, in-which:

Fig. 1 is a top plane view of a buoyant airplane embodying the principles of my inven-' tion and 'whichairplane is of the monoplane ty V c i 2 is a side elevational view of thebuoyant airplane with parts thereof broken away andifisection. I Fi 3 is an enlarged cross section takenon v 3 'j 'renderethe same impervious to the V Fig. 4' is a frontelevational view 'of a ortion of the airplane wing'with parts bro en the lmeB-B of Fig. 1.. a

away and in section.

-bodiment 0 at is carried ,by the airtudinally disposed frame members 14, prefer- -ciate'din the usual manner with said engine:

- Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical emmy invention, 10 designates the lower member of the airplane body which is. in the form of an elongated hollow shell that tapers adually toward its rear end and positione directly above this lower member is the upper member 11 of thebody which is in the form of .an elongated hollow shell 12 that'tapersgradually toward its rear end.

1 The walls of the upper and lower members l0 and 11 may be formed of an suitable light weight material, preferab ysheet aluminum an said upper and lower bodies are connected. at suitable distances apart throughout their lengths by encircling frames 13, preferably of metal and the sides of said frames are connected to each other by longiably metal tubes.

The hollow metal bodies 10 and 11 are covered by a sheathing 15, preferably thin metallic plates that are secured to the frame members 13 and 14.

The forward portions of the bodies 10 and 11 are tapered forwardly to form a nose por! tion 16 and atthe forward end ofthis nose portion is'arranged the engine 17 and assois a propeller 18'.

Arranged beneath the forward rtion of the body is a pair of wheels 19 an arranged benath'thefr'ear portion of the bodies is a landing skid 20. The s ace within the lower body member 10 is divided into compartments 21 of suitable size and which compartments areadapted to contain fuel, supplies, freight and quarters forthe crew-and passengers. I 7

- The s ace within the u per memberll'of the airp one body is divi ed into a seriesof separate compartments and each compartment is lined with a layer 22 .of asbestos or I other heat resistingmaterial and within each lined cornfigrtmentis an envelop 23, preferablyof si orlinen that is treated so as to f gas andeach envelop is ada ted to assa e of in ated gwith buoyant gas, prefera ly helium. v envelop 88 1s. provided with-a'- suitanected to a supply tube 25 which latter extends lengthwise of the body of the airplane and each filling tube is provlded with a valve 26. When each envelop 23 is inflated with gas it rests'directly against the lining 2201 asbestos or other heat insulating material.

Positioned on top of the forward portion of the upper body 11 is a transversely disposed hollow wing 27, the space within which is divided by partitions 28 into a series of separate chambers and each chamber is lined with thin sheets of asbestos 29 and arranged within each chamber is an inflatable fabric envelop 30 that is adapted to contain buoyant gas, preferably helium.

The underface of the wing 27 is preferably flat and the thickness of the wing structure gradually decreases from its center toward both ends, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Projecting laterally from both sides of the rear end portion of the double body of the airplane are elevators 31 that are hollow and the chamber within each elevator is provided with a lining 32 of asbestos. Positioned within each hollow elevator is a fabric envelop 33 that is adapted to contain gas, preferably helium.

VJ hen all of the gas bags or envelops Within body 10, wing 27 and elevators 31 are filled with gas, the airplane is rendered practically buoyant or self-sustaining in the air and as the engine is operated the airplane will be driven forwardly throughout a wide range of speeds.

Due to the fact that the body of the airplane is rendered buoyant by the gas contained in the envelopes within the body, wing and elevators, an engine having a comparatively small degree of power may be employed to operate the airplane for with the buoyant body the engine is not required to exert power to lift the body and to sustain the same during flight.

The asbestos linings within the compartments or chambers that contain the inflatable bags or envelopes provide comparatively soft walls against which the fabric envelopes engage while infiated and said asbestos linings tend to prevent undue expansion of the gases within the envelopes due to heat resulting from the suns rays that strike against the outer shell 15 of the airplane body and the wall 12 of the upper body 11.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a buoyant airplane that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive. of manufacture and which may be operated to much greater advantage than the ordinary types of heavierthan-air airplanes.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved buoyant airplane may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departingfrom bodies and branch pipes leading from said supply pipe to the gas containers within the SQ compartments in the upper hollow body.

2. In an airplane, a pair of elongated hollow bodies, one arranged directly above the other, vertically disposed frames connecting the two bodies at spaced points throughout their length, longitudinally disposed mem bers connecting the sides of said frames, a sheathing of thin metallic plates secured to the frames and longitudinal members and covering said tubular members so as to form a body that is substantially oval in cross section, the upper longitudinal member being divided into compartments, a lining of fireproof heat resisting insulating material within each compartment and a gas container within each compartment.

in an airplane, a pair of elongated hol-- low bodies, one arranged directly above the other, verticallydisposed frames connecting the two bodies at spaced points throughout their length, longitudinally disposed members connecting the sides of said frames, a sheathing of thin metallic plates secured to the frames and longitudinal members and covering said tubular members so as to form 105 a body that is substantially oval in cross section, the upper longitudinal member being divided into compartments, a lining of fireproof heat resisting insulating material within each compartment, a gas container within me each compartment, a gas supply pipe extending longitudinally between said upper and lower hollow bodies and branch pipes leading from said gas supply pipe to the gas containers within the. chain longitudinal member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature.

' FREDERICK IES. 

